Pitch Black
by Queen Of The Elfs
Summary: An attack of the Dark Lord hits Gringotts, and a certain Fred Weasley is caught in the middle of it. Will he live to see another day?
1. Chapter 1

I apologise for any mistake in grammar etc. English isn't my native language and this is my first story in English, so don't flame me! I really hope you'll review and point out any mistake I've made, it'll be helpful for school.

I don't own anything in this story. Characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling.

Summary: An attack of the Dark Lord hits Gringotts, and a certain Fred Weasley is caught in the middle of it. Will he live to see another day?

" Talking "

' Thinking '

**PITCH BLACK**

CHAPTER ONE

"George, have you seen my shoes?" Fred asked.

"No, I didn't. Where have you last seen them? They have to be somewhere," his twin answered with a grin. Fred sighed. Honestly, he was more than just annoyed. They were supposed to meet their parents in the Leaky Cauldron, but of course they forgot it. That was the main reason why they were in such a hurry, and why Fred was close to panicking.

"Oh, here they are, Fred," George said. "Off all places to search, why didn't you just look under the bed?"

"Because I was certain I didn't leave them there," Fred growled while putting his shoes on. "Anyway, we have to go. Any later and mom will have a fit. She's going to think we're captured by Death Eaters or something."

"And then, if we do show up, she's going to rant and scream at us for forever, because we scared her so much," George added with a grin, while grabbing and putting on his new dragon-skin jacket.

The twins looked at each other and disappeared at the same time. With a loud 'pop' they apparated just after the wall that led to Diagon Alley. George walked forward and opened the door. They stepped inside and almost at once they spotted their family. Of course, that was because their red-haired family was rather hard to miss.

Fred walked over to them and smiled. He didn't have to look back to know his brother was following him. Quickly he scanned the faces of the people before him. Ginny was there, smiling back and looking as great as ever. His parents looked a little tired and pale, because the work for the Order was now more pressing than ever before, with the number of attacks and death treats growing, but otherwise Molly and Arthur looked healthy.

Ron had come along as well, with his friends Hermione and Harry. Now and then he would stare at Hermione, mostly when he thought nobody was looking. Why he hadn't asked the girl out yet was beyond Fred. They both were happy to see them again. Harry was pale and silent. Ron had just gotten him out of the Dursley's house, so no surprise there.

"Good afternoon, Gred and Forge at your service," George began.

"We heard you lot needed a guide to lead you through Diagon Alley…"

"…Because otherwise you'd be hopelessly lost…"

"…Without our unlimited intelligence," Fred finished. Laughter followed their statement.

"Nice to see you too," Hermione grinned. "If we wanted unlimited intelligence we hadn't asked you two."

George gripped his heart and feigned hurt. "How dare you!" he exclaimed. "We'd expect such an answer from Ron, or even Ginny, but you? I'm deeply hurt!"

Ron laughed. "Don't be an idiot, Fred. We're just going to get our stuff for the next year. By the way, can we see your shop? I need some more stuff to take to Hogwarts."

"All right, Ronnie-kin," George teased. Ron reddened and snapped: "It's Ron!"

George laughed and Ron reached out to hit him over the head, but Mrs. Weasley quickly ended it. They then walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. George suddenly frowned, as if thinking of something just then, and turned around to his twin.

"Fred, I was thinking… We were going to eat dinner in the Leaky Cauldron, our treat, right?"

Fred nodded and read the unspoken question in his twin's eyes.

"Sure, go ahead. You show them the shop and I'll go to Gringotts and get some money. Do you have the key to our vault?"

George nodded and handed him the key.

"Don't lose it."

"Of course not," Fred grinned. "I mean, you know me."

"Right. I do know you. That's why I said it."

Fred laughed and started walking away.

"Hey Fred, where are you going?" Molly asked. Fred turned around and smiled at his mother.

"Nowhere special. Just have to get some money at Gringotts'."

"Oh. Be careful, okay?" she said. She tried not to show she was worried. He was an adult now and could take care of himself. And besides, he was just going to Gringotts. Nothing could happen, right? She tried to reassure herself, even though her instinct screamed at her not to let him go.

"Of course mom. I won't be gone for too long." Fred grinned and rolled his eyes. His mother really needed to stop worrying so much, he thought to himself. He then turned around and walked to Gringotts. If only he had known what was going to happen that day, he might have considered not going.

So this was the first chapter. I hope you all liked it, even though there wasn't any action. I promise it'll come in the next one.

I have to tell you, I'm not known for finishing my stories, so I do hope you make this story worth finishing. How? By reviewing of course! No review, no update.


	2. Chapter 2

_I apologise for any mistake in grammar etc. English isn't my native language and this is my first story in English, so don't flame me! _

_I don't own anything in this story. Characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling._

_Summary: An attack of the Dark Lord hits Gringotts, and a certain Fred Weasley is caught in the middle of it. Will he live to see another day?_

" _Talking "_

' _Thinking '_

**PITCH BLACK**

CHAPTER TWO

Fred walked into Gringotts. He looked around, and smiled. Everything was still the same. Even after You-Know-Who had risen, for the second time, it was still as busy as always at the bank. Goblins hurried around, taking with them Witches and Wizards, into the dark places behind the doors, where the money was safely kept.

He walked over to one of the Goblins that took care of the visiting people. He coughed to let his presence be known. The Goblin looked up from his work and frowned.

"One minute, mister!" He then went back to writing in his book. After a few minutes Fred started to get restless and bored. He looked at his watch and considered walking over to another Goblin, just as the one in front of him finished whatever he was doing and looked up.

"Name?"

"Fredrick Weasley," Fred answered, and cringed. He always hated it when he had to say his full name. Honestly, who in his right mind would call his child Fredrick?

"Key, please."

Wordlessly, Fred handed the key to his vault over. The Goblin looked at it and wrote something in his book. He then looked at Fred again.

"Follow him, please."

Another Goblin came walking over to them. Fred took his key back and followed the Goblin toward one of the many doors. They came into a small passage, one that Fred knew very well. It was lit by torches, and had a rail in the middle of it. The Goblin whistled, and from out of nowhere came a small caddie riding towards them.

"Come on, get in," the Goblin urged. Fred stepped into the caddie, and they took off. After a few moments of silence, Fred decided that a conversation wouldn't be too bad.

"So, do you like this work?" he asked. The Goblin glanced at him, and resumed looking forward. Fred frowned. Why was it that those Goblins never liked to talk? He sighed, and tried again.

-+-+

"So, what do you think?" George asked with a smile. He leaned casually against the counter and looked straight at his mother. "Not bad for a prank shop, huh?"

Molly looked at one of their latest improvements of their firework with slight interest. "I wouldn't have thought there would be so much people interested," she admitted rather reluctant. "Perhaps it's better than I thought it would be."

George smirked. "Thought so." He pointed at a door behind the counter. "You should check this out. Fred and I thought it would be funny if you'd hand your wand over at someone and than having the wand curse that person on it's own. So, at first we made them with simple things, such as changing hair-colours and such, then we had a lot of wizards and witches buying it to annoy their little brothers and sisters which were still too young to do magic. Next thing we know, people want more complicated spells on it. They sell very well."

Molly nodded. She looked at the wands. They looked as ordinary wands. "So how do you know if it's a false one or not?" she asked. George smirked.

"You don't. That's the fun of it."

Ginny yelled from the front of the store for George. He and his mother walked toward her voice, and they found her pointing at some Quaffles.

"What are those?"

George grinned and opened his mouth to respond, but he never answered. Suddenly there was a loud explosion that rocked the entire street. The windows shattered, and glass flew everywhere. Ginny and Hermione screamed, and covered their faces with their arms, as the balls where they were looking at fell to the ground.

Another explosion followed the first one, and this time the shaking remained for a while. George ducked to the ground and grabbed for his wand. He didn't know how long he'd lain there, but eventually the shaking stopped, save for some small tremors. George finally dared looking up, and gasped at the sight that met him.

Their store, their beautiful store was a mess. Their products had fallen to the ground, many of them smashed and broken. He looked around, already calculating how much repairing everything was going to cost.

"Is everybody okay?" he asked. His voice sounded hoarse.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron exclaimed. He was holding onto Hermione, who unfortunately had been hit with one of the fireworks.

"I don't know," Molly answered. She kneeled next to Hermione. "Let me see this."

Hermione whimpered at the soft touch. Molly frowned. "That must hurt. Poor girl. Ginny, why don't you take her home. I'm sure we have a first-aid kit there. You know what to do with burns, right?"

Ginny nodded and helped Hermione up. She then walked to the back, from were she would floo back to the Burrow.

From outside screaming reached their ears. "Come on, let's see what's going on," Harry said.

"No way. You are going to stay here. There's no way I'll let anything happen to any of you," Molly said with such determination in her voice that Harry cringed slightly.

Ron peered outside. "It looks like there's something happening at Gringotts," he said slowly. George stood beside him. He paled.

"No," he murmured. "No…"

He then made a run for the door, but Ron and Harry jumped at him and held him back.

"No George!" Molly shouted.

"Don't you understand?" George screamed. He struggled against his little brother and friend, but even though he was older, he couldn't get free. "Fred's there, he was going to get money. He's there! Let me go!"

The next thing he knew, was that Ron let go of his arms, in shock. He then was able to push Harry aside and ran out of the door. He heard his name being cried, but didn't care. All he wanted was getting to Fred. For he knew that something terrible had happened.

_That's the next chapter. Took me long to update, but I had this huge writing block. It's like they're even bigger when you write in a different language than your own. _

_Anyway, please review. I could really use some advice at how to make my story better. _


	3. Chapter 3

_I apologise for any mistake in grammar etc. English isn't my native language and this is my first story in English, so don't flame me! _

_I don't own anything in this story. Characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling._

_Summary: An attack of the Dark Lord hits Gringotts, and a certain Fred Weasley is caught in the middle of it. Will he live to see another day?_

I want to thank LinkinParkFreak996 and InkandPaper for their reviews, I'm sorry I'm later with updating than I planned to, but I've been busy.

Hate to tell you this, InkandPaper, but there won't be any dragons in this story. I love them too, but it's not possible to add it into the story as I originally planned it.

" _Talking "_

' _Thinking '_

PITCH BLACK CHAPTER THREE 

Fred felt the gold in his pocket resting heavily against his leg. He smiled slightly, remembering how George and his' business had started to get serious and how much money they had earned in that short period. How much they were going to earn as soon as their newest line of products was ready.

He was shaken from his thought by an odd sound. He frowned and looked up, thinking about what that sound could possibly be. It sounded rather like someone hitting a big rock with a hammer.

Fred suddenly felt how the wagon slowed down. He looked at the Goblin beside him and saw that he had pulled some kind of brake. The Goblin too was staring at the ceiling.

"What was that?" Fred asked, breaking the heavy silence that lay in the tunnels.

"I don't know," the Goblin answered truthfully. If it were another situation, Fred would've been marvelled by the fact that the Goblin actually answered him, but now he was afraid that it must've been something really unusual, if the Goblin, that worked here, didn't know what it was.

Suddenly the sound came again, only louder this time. Fred screamed in fright as the ground started to shake and dust fell from the ceiling. He reached for his wand, but even before his hand had got near his pocket, the wagon shook and fell to it's side.

Fred didn't know which side was up and which down. He rolled over a few times and landed hard against the wall in the small tunnel. He could still feel the ground vibrating, in fact, the shaking seemed to only get worse, accompanied by a loud rumbling sound, that blocked out everything else.

He coughed harshly, his lungs filled with dust that still descended from everywhere around him.

'I need air,' he thought. 'I'll suffocate if I don't do something.'

Fred choked out the charm that he had seen before, that helped him and his brother when making the portable swamp and placing it. This time it helped him again. He could feel the air around his head getting cleaner. No longer he had trouble breathing and dust in his eyes.

His joy was short-lived, however, for he felt something smash into the ground beside him. He screamed and cowered against the wall. More things fell, and Fred rolled up into a small ball.

"LUMOS!" he shouted, having the need to see at least something. The light blinded him for a second, then his eyes became adjusted to it and he could see his surroundings. He looked aside and screamed.

Fred looked straight into the eyes of the Goblin. The creature lay on his side, neck twisted and eyes turned open and unseeing at the ceiling. Fred thought he could even see something white sticking out of the unfortunate Goblin's neck. He felt himself getting sick and was about to turn his back to it, when a movement from above caught his attention.

A piece of the ceiling was heading straight for his head.

Fred stared at it for a moment, too stunned to move or even think. Then he reacted almost automatically, bringing his hands above his head, the slightly shaking tip of his wand pointing at the rock, and yelling the first spell that came to his mind.

"REDUCTO!"

A flash of light followed, blinding Fred temporary with it sudden brightness in the dark of the cave. Before him, the rock exploded into little pieces, and he barely had the time to think that perhaps it hadn't been such a smart idea, when something smashed into his head and his vision turned black.

-+-+-+-+

George ran like he'd never ran before. Only one thing was on his mind, and that was to get to Fred. He stumbled over a brick that stuck out of the pavement, and almost fell, catching himself just in time by gripping the wall. He barely felt the sting when he scraped his hands, already running on towards Gringotts.

'Fred, where are you?' he thought desperately. Normally, if he was in trouble, Fred would be right beside him. Now wasn't that the case, and it scared George. He didn't know what had become of Fred, what would become of him. He was scared to find out what happened, but at the same time he needed to know.

He turned around the corner and stopped at what he saw, his wide eyes taking in the chaos that took place in the once snow-white building. Now it was coloured with dust, cracks in the walls exposing the red bricks that once had been hidden under a white layer.

The doors of Gringotts were destroyed. George could hear shouts coming out of the building and wasted no time running inside. He whipped out his wand and surveyed the scene before him. It seemed like the building had just collapsed, as if the tunnels underground had decided they couldn't bear the weight of the bank anymore and had ceased to exist. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

George saw people and Goblins fighting, trying to hit people with dark cloaks in the chaos. It shocked him to find out there were Death Eaters, but didn't have time to think about it, as he had to dodge a curse going his way. George looked around, trying to find a familiar head between every one else, but he couldn't find someone with red hair in the area. Suddenly a new fear gripped his heart. What if Fred was down there?

With that in mind he sprang forward, wand ready, already shouting curses at the Death Eaters. Vaguely he was aware of others coming in after him, helping him. He didn't care. He just fought. But while he did that, he couldn't help but think in horror, that maybe he wouldn't see his twin, his other half, again.

_End of the chapter. I hope you liked it! Please do me a favour, and review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_New chapter… Enjoy!_

" _Talking "_

' _Thinking '_

PITCH BLACK 

**CHAPTER FOUR**

George whirled around, ready to fire yet another curse as he felt the hand on his shoulder. The adrenaline that was pumping through his system left him feeling slightly out of control. His eyes were bloodshot and tearing a bit because of all the dust, that hung in the air as a result of the attack.

"George! Calm down, they're gone," Molly said to her son.

He lowered his wand and looked around. Look around and taking the view in for the first time. It was devastating. Rubble lay everywhere, large rocks from the ceiling and overturned tables and chairs. For the first time George took notice of the sun shining in his eyes. The cause of that was that the roof was almost gone.

And the bodies. Everywhere lay people hurt or dying. Moaning filled the air as those people, Goblins too, were being helped by the less hurt or unhurt ones.

George felt his stomach clench and he sat on the floor, his legs giving way under him.

"George, you're hurt!" his mother exclaimed.

He looked down and saw the blood covering his shirt. Then he nodded slowly, feeling tired all the sudden.

'Must be the adrenaline wearing off,' he mused. 'I'm kind of dizzy though.'

He looked up to his mother. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm fine. A little banged up but fine."

"And the others?"

She bit her lip. "Ron broke his arm, and has been hit with another spell. Harry's with him. He's fine too."

"And Fred?" George finally dared asking. He looked up to his mother, fear filling his eyes. "What about him?"

"I don't know, George. I honestly don't know."

-+-+

As soon as he regained consciousness, he knew that he preferred the dark and blissful ignorance that was called being knocked out.

The first thing that came to his mind was the pain. His whole body hurt, hell, he even hurt in places of which he didn't know he could!

Fred moaned softly. 'What happened?'

Slowly the events came to his mind once again. The explosion, falling, rocks everywhere and the Goblin…

"Oh Merlin!" he shouted and regretted it immediately after doing that. He could hear something shifting and felt dust and sand falling on him.

With baited breath, he waited for something to happen. When it didn't, he calmed down slightly. It was just enough to notice something.

It was dark around him. Pitch black.

'O God, I'm blind!' Fred panicked once again. 'No, please, no!'

He needed light, needed it badly. Where was his wand?

He felt around him with his right hand. Nothing. But when he tried to move his left arm, he cried out in pain. Moving it was out of the question.

'Oh, come on! Please!'

When he couldn't find it, Fred resorted to his last option, the only way he'd be able to get it.

"_Lumos_!" he half-shouted. There was nothing. 'Merlin, this proves it! I'm really blind!'

Without noticing, Fred began crying. Tears rolled over his dirty cheeks, but he didn't swipe them away.

"Come on!" he moaned. "_Accio wand_!"

He smiled as he felt a familiar piece of wood between his fingers. However, the smile slid from his face as he examined it closer.

For in his hands lay an now broken and useless wand.

-+-+

George exhaled loudly, running his hand through his hair in frustration. It had been an hour after the incident and he still didn't know anything about his brother. Paramedics and Aurors had arrived at the scene, taking charge over it and efficiently helping the victims. They wouldn't let him near Gringotts. After they cleaned up and healed his wounds, he was ushered out of the door. They had asked for his name, so that they could get his statement about what happened later, but that was it. When he asked about Fred, they had just shaken their heads and said that they would inform him as soon as they knew anything. That was half an hour ago, and he already was starting to get impatient.

"Calm down, George," his mother berated him beside him. "They'll say it when they find him. Until then, we can't do anything."

"I know, but…" George trailed off. He looked at his mother, uncertainty filling his eyes. "But what if they don't? What if they can't find him?"

"George, don't think the worst. Just believe in your brother. He won't give up, you know that. Don't lose faith yet."

She sighed.

George stood up. He was more frustrated than he could ever remember being. Walking forward, he suddenly turned and looked at his mother.

"I can't wait here, mom. I need to be there, need to do something, anything to help. Please?"

He knew he was pleading, but it didn't matter to him. Nothing mattered anymore, except his brother being found.

"You know there's nothing we can do, sweetie," Molly answered. She looked more tired than George had ever seen her. A black eye had begun to form on the left side of her face, but she hadn't been able to have someone looking at it, seeing as there were life-threatening injuries that had to be taken care of.

"Come on, we should go look for Ron and Harry."

George nodded and allowed to let his mother lay her arm around his shoulder. They started walking toward Gringotts. George saw that the Aurors had placed signs and other stuff to keep people out. There were some Aurors too that made sure no one got in. George looked around, trying to find his brother and friend in the chaos outside of Gringotts.

His mother finally spotted them near one of the Aurors. George felt an small smile beginning to creep up his face as he recognised the Auror. It was Tonks. Hopefully she was able to tell them more about the events that took place inside of the building.

"Guys!" He shouted, pushing his way through the crowd.

"George!" Ron shouted as soon as he turned around. He looked kind of green, and George wondered what spell they hit him with. His arm was in a makeshift cast.

Harry looked fine, though his face was covered with scrapes and he was favouring his right foot. He looked immensely relieved to see George and Molly.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked as soon as he saw the blood covering George's T-shirt.

"I'm fine," George answered. "What about you guys?"

"Nothing serious," Harry said. "Where's Fred?"

George's face fell, and he swallowed thickly. "I don't know. They haven't found him yet."

"Merlin," Ron muttered, paling an even more unnatural shade of grey. "I hoped he was with you."

"Have you heard anything about it?" George asked Tonks desperately. When she shook her head, he cursed.

"George, there's nothing you can do right now. Why don't you go home, we'll let you know as soon as he's found, all right?" Tonks tried to reason with him.

"No, you don't understand. I can't go home! I won't leave Fred!"

George was almost to the point of crying right then. They didn't understand him. None of them did. If he left, it would be abandoning Fred to his fate. It would be just as declaring him dead right there. And that was something he couldn't deal with. Fred was more than a brother, he was part of him. George could almost feel his pain.

"George, you have to be reasonable. You can't do anything right now. How about going to your shop. It's close by, and you'll be able to know as soon as they find him. You won't help him with not taking care of yourself. Fred wouldn't want that," Molly said softly. Tears had begun filling her eyes, even though she tried to stay strong for her children.

Finally, George nodded his head. He looked down, his entire body screaming defeat.

"You're right," he whispered hoarsely.

Taking one more glance at the activity inside the bank, he turned and started walking away.

-+-+

Fred honestly felt like giving up right there. His wand was broken and there was nothing he could do to get himself out now. He could feel the panic beginning to set in, making his breathing fast and laboured.

'God, no. Please!' his mind screamed. In reality, he didn't dare making a sound. He was afraid the world around him would start shifting again, this time killing him. He knew how lucky he was to be alive, even though he didn't know how that could be. He was buried under rocks, right? How come he'd been in an open space between two rocks?

He blinked, trying to keep his mind of the sleep he so desperately needed right now. If he fell asleep right now, there might be the chance he'd never awake.

As this realisation hit him, he choked back a sob. Wait, had he been crying? Judging from the wetness of his cheeks, he must've. Or was that warm liquid blood? He didn't know, didn't want to know.

Another sob burst from his lips, this one louder. He bit his lips trying to hold it back, but he couldn't. Pain was beginning to take it's toll on him. He covered his face with his hands, pain shooting through him with every sob.

"No," he moaned even louder. "No!"

As soon as the moan left his mouth, he knew it was a mistake. Fred could practically feel the earth shifting beneath him, and he screamed silently. Pain hit him again as unconsciousness claimed him once more.

-+-+

That's it. Please review to let me know what you think. Was it better? Worse? Still horrible? It only takes a minute or less of your time and it'll inspire me to continue writing and hopefully help me out.


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews. I apologise for not updating for so long. Sure, I've been really busy with school, but that's hardly an excuse, right?**

**Anyway, I'm going on vacation next week, so I won't be able to update for two or three weeks then. I'll try to write the next chapter in that time though. **

**So now, the normal disclaimer. I don't own anything except the idea for this story, et cetera. I apologise for any grammar mistakes and/or other mistakes. If you want to help me out by pointing out any mistake, please review and tell me what you don't like and why. It'll be really helpful. **

**Pitch**** Black**

**Chapter five**

For what must've been the thousandth time, George looked at the clock again. It read 03.45 PM. That was six hours, he quickly calculated. Exactly six hours since he last talked with his twin. For three and a half hours he had been sitting here, without any news on what was happening outside. Four and a half hour since the Death Eaters left. And still there was no information on the whereabouts of his twin. It was driving him mad.

Molly had informed his father about the situation, and he told her he'd be there as soon as he could. That was an hour ago, and he had yet to appear.

The noise in the beck of the shop startled George, and he looked around to check out whatever happened. The first smile in what seemed like ages crossed his face. Before him stood his father, Bill, Charlie, Ginny and Hermione. Every one of them had an anxious look on their face as they sat down in the destroyed shop to join them. For a moment everything was silent, but George felt as though no words needed to be spoken. Just drawing comfort out of their presence was enough. If only Fred was here…

'Am I selfish for wishing it was someone else that was missing,' George wondered silently. 'What if he didn't go to Gringotts? Would I still care as much?'

Finally Arthur scraped his throat and asked the question that had been on his lips since they arrived.

"Any news?"

His voice broke through the silence, and George involuntary had to winch at the harshness of the sound. His mother shook her head.

"Nothing. They don't tell us anything, Arthur. We just have to wait."

Shaking his head angrily, Arthur stood up. "I'm going down there to ask what's going on."

Nobody reacted to this news, but nonetheless he walked down the road. George watched him go sadly, aware of the eyes of his brothers on him.

"How are you holding up, George?" Charlie asked, and George shrugged in response. "George?"

"I'm fine," George replied without looking away from the window. He was lying and he knew it. He was far from fine. He felt like crying, yet couldn't. Part of his heart was numb and felt dead to him. He knew that was the part of him that was connected to his brother somehow. It was the part of his heart that could always tell if Fred was hurt or miserable. And now he felt nothing. Did that mean Fred was dead? Or was he unconscious? Either way George didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to sleep and forget it happened at all. If only he'd gone himself and not let Fred get the money…

"I'm going to make us something to eat. You want anything, George?" Ginny asked. When George shook his head, she just looked at him with tears that she hadn't bothered to wipe away still in her eyes. "I'm going to get you food anyway. You have to eat."

George just shrugged. It didn't matter anymore.

He didn't see his mother shake her head sadly, didn't see his brothers turning their head away sadly, he just looked out of the window, as though he hoped his brother would come, all smiles, and ask why they were sitting there like a pair of zombies. But deep inside he knew that wouldn't happen.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You don't understand! My son is in there!" Arthur shouted frustrated. The Auror in front of him just looked him in the eyes stoically.

"And so are others. We can't say anything. If you'd just tell those people over there your name, then they can notify you once we find your son."

"But I want to know what's going on. Don't you have kids yourself? Can't you imagine what it's like to know absolutely nothing?" Arthur was becoming desperate to find out something, anything that told him his son was alive. But these Aurors wouldn't let him get through.

"Sir, I can assure you that an entire team of paramedics, aurors, and other people is out there looking for survivors underneath the rubble. Every victim is taken to St. Mungo, we are doing everything possible. Now please go over there and tell them your name and the missing person. You're not helping by keeping me from doing my job," the Auror said, and although Arthur was angry at his words and the meaning behind them, his shoulders slumped in defeat as he walked away.

It frightened him to no end, not knowing whether his son was alive or not, and it frustrated him at the same time. He just couldn't deal with losing a son. No, two sons. He knew the twins very well. They were like one person, often agreeing and Arthur knew the one couldn't live without the other. He was scared of what George might do if he heard Fred was dead. Hell, he was scared of what he might do!

So instead of thinking about the 'what if's', he focused on only one thought. He clung onto it like it was his lifeline, repeating it in his head like some sort of mantra.

'It will be alright, it will be alright, it will….'

He hated everything about this situation. He hated the way his family looked up hopefully as soon as he stepped in the room they were sitting in, and he hated the way he could see their faces fall at his expression. He hated feeling so helpless. Arthur smiled wryly at the thought. Helpless. That's why he had joined the Order, so that he could make a difference and hopefully influence the war for a good outcome, if only a little. But that didn't matter now, did it? His son was gone, anyway. And there was nothing he could do, nothing Dumbledore could do with all his fancy talk about the Order to get him out under all that rubble, right? So much for making a difference.

In truth, Arthur had little hope of Fred surviving. He had been in Gringotts for countless of times, and he remembered himself wondering what would happen if it collapsed. That had been years ago, when he was a child and innocent. He now was grown up, and he had seen the world. He could only hope it would be alright, but the world didn't work that way. It wasn't fair. Fred hadn't deserved to die like that.

'No, he doesn't. Don't abandon hope yet, Arthur. You've seen miracles happen, why can't this be another one of those times? Fred is strong, he'll find a way,' Arthur berated himself. He looked around. 'You have a wonderful family. Fred knows that to. He'll come back. He has to live!'

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He was floating.

That was the only sensation he could feel. There was nothing, no sound, no way to tell time. Just pitch black. It was a weird sensation, he thought. There was nothing, he felt peaceful and weightless.

'Am I dead?' he wondered. If he was, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. If only there would be light… But why would he be dead? What happened? He knew nothing, nothing made sense and weirdly enough, he didn't want it to make sense. He held no emotions, he just felt complete. And yet there was something, something important. It was nagging at the back of his brain, calling out to him but he just didn't know what it was.

The feeling started to become stronger. Confusion filled him as he remembered. It was grief. But why would he be sad? His thoughts started to mingle as he became more aware of his surroundings. He was lying on the floor. He shifted, and the pain this caused drove away any sleepiness he had. He groaned and tried to lay as still as possible.

What happened? He tried to recall everything, but found that his memories were blurred. Thoughts of fear and pain shot through his head, and waiting, for… something? Anything? He couldn't tell the difference between reality and dreams anymore. George, where was George? He needed his twin so badly. Where was he?

Fred could feel his breathing quicken and his heart starting to beat faster as panic set in. He gasped and tried to stay calm.

'All right, Weasley,' he thought, 'now is not the time to freak out. Just think, is there something you can do to get the hell out of this place?'

With that in mind, he once again started to take notice of his surroundings. If he was right, he had caused the rocks to shift. That meant everything had changed. First of all, he thought about his injuries. Sure, his whole body hurt and was stiff from lying on the floor for so long, but his side and left arm hurt more than anything else, apart from his head. Those were old injuries, he had already sustained them during the first time the rocks fell. His shoulder hurt and Fred moved his right hand toward it slowly. He gasped out in pain as soon as he touched it, and when he drew back his hand he could feel something wet and sticky on it. There was something in his shoulder, Fred could feel it, and even with the slightest of movement he wanted to scream out in pain. But to do so would not only be stupid, but it would also probably mean the end of him. So Fred laid back defeated, admitting he couldn't do anything apart from waiting for the rescue. Rescue that might not even come.

**That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

I don't owe anything except the idea for this story, all characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling. I apologise for any grammar mistakes and other ones. If you'd like to point out anything you think is wrong, please tell me and I'll see what I can do…

Furthermore, I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed and read this story while I was on vacation. I really appreciate it, and it inspires me to continue with this story, knowing there are people who'd like to see it finished. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I've been planning ahead for future chapters, so that this story will definitely be finished and not stopped halfway for lack of inspiration. I've begun a new story (of course about Fred. He's my favourite character!) too. It won't be on yet but perhaps it will as soon as I'm finished with this story.

That's it for now, so here's chapter six!

**Pitch Black**

**Chapter six**

The only sensation he was aware of was that he was really, really hot. He could feel sweat, mixed with dirt running down his face, probably leaving a trail on his face he couldn't see. He guessed sweating so much was a bad thing, losing water as he did.

'Well, they will just have to hurry up with rescuing me, then,' he thought. 'Send in the cavalry already!'

He hoped they would come soon, for he did not know how much longer he could last. Already he felt himself growing weaker, even though he never would've guessed it was possible to feel even more miserable than he had. The nauseous feeling he had had for a while was getting worse, just as the headache started to spike.

Would they come, really? Fred couldn't help but doubt it. He was in Gringotts of all places, trapped underground. What were the odds of surviving? Really not that great. The ones that were supposed to be rescuing him knew this as well. If they even started digging, would they really go that far? Fred had no idea how deep into Gringotts' depths they had travelled. For all he knew, he could still be miles underground. What if they never searched that far? If they never found him?

'Nonsense!' he berated himself angrily. 'They will find me! I know my family, they will never give up on me! George wouldn't allow it, either!'

But even as he tried to convince himself with this, he couldn't help but feel cold despair making its way up his throat. They would never find him, right? He would forever be lost in the depths of Gringotts, next to some nameless Goblin. Would he even get a grave, without his body there to lay in it? Or would they leave it like this, and let him be one of the many nameless ones lost in the collapse of one of the greatest wizard banks? So many questions he did not know the answer to. Fred suddenly realised there were so many things he'd have liked to do before dying, but he never had the chance. Would it hurt to die?

With this in mind, and as the irony of the situation was realised, Fred began to chuckle. The sound was harsh in the deafening silence that had been there before.

'Really, I never would've thought I'd die like this,' he thought. 'Perhaps in a battle, or because of an experiment, but never like this. Already lying in my own grave, just waiting for oxygen to run out or my body to stop working.'

His laughing increased in volume, then suddenly stopped. In a movement that sent pain shooting through his entire body and black to creep at the edges of his vision, Fred rolled to the side and started vomiting. When it had ended, he realised he was crying. The burning and sudden tightness of his throat, just as the wet liquid running from his eyes told him as much. It was weird. He almost never cried. Last time he did…

He shook his head, and leaned back exhausted. Last time he cried was in his second year when George had been hit with a Bludger to the head and the nurse told him he might've amnesia. Fred feared he wouldn't remember him, then.

Would his family remember him? Would they miss him, be able to overcome the loss of one of their own? Somehow he didn't think so. At least, his brother George would not.

Oh, George. Fred hoped he'd be able to bear the loss. Though people deemed them to be just the same, troublemakers and never serious, there were differences. George always had been the smart one, who found ways out where Fred couldn't, who mastered a spell almost all the time before Fred himself did. He was the one that thought about risks.

The had accomplished so much together. Sure, they dropped out of Hogwarts, but that was just one tiny detail, right? They had successfully run a shop, after all, making products as easily as one with a little piece of paper that said: I finished Hogwarts, isn't that great?

Fred hoped George would not stop making jokes and products by himself. He could make it on his own, he was brilliant after all.

And his little brother, Ron. Fred knew they teased him a lot, bringing him down about his Keeper skills and such, but he never would have the chance to say to his baby brother he really wasn't that bad a guy. He wouldn't be able to say he liked having him around.

'Ugh, stop it Fred,' he quickly berated himself. 'Before you start saying goodbye to your family, you have to die, okay? You sound as if you already are dead!'

But really, he could be dead any moment. If the rocks shifted, if his body gave up, so many possibilities. He could feel the nausea returning, and he started to have trouble breathing. The irregular breaths rang loud in his ears.

Fred groaned and shifted to relieve his back, that really hurt by now because he had been lying so still for hours. He instantly wished he hadn't. The nausea rushed up and reflexively he rolled on his stomach and threw up again. The pain was breathtaking, and even when his stomach long had been emptied, he couldn't stop dry heaving.

The pain filled his every thought, his very being, and his eyes started to burn again. When he thought it was over, he turned away had rested his head against the cool stone, once again crying and struggling to keep himself awake.

There was nothing, as he plead for all of it to be over. There was just pure darkness as Fred laid there waiting, not exactly sure what for, but just waiting. For dead to take him or for rescue, whichever arrived first. At the time he'd welcome them both.

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George looked around the shop for what must've been the thousandth time, but he didn't see the destroyed shop, no, he thought about happier times. He and Fred had been doing so well. He could picture Fred and him standing between the shelves, laughing and joking with the customers, telling them about pranks they pulled in Hogwarts and the material they used for it. About when they used their Skiving Snack boxes as a some sort of weapon to annoy the DADA teacher. He remembered Fred walking toward a customer, slipping and falling on his arse. It had been funny and he'd been laughing so hard, until Fred stood up and said to him: 'Now, George, I don't know what you think is so funny, but I seem to remember us running from Filch and you falling and letting him catch the both of you.'

He'd stopped laughing then. The customer was a pretty girl who George'd been trying to impress, but after that she was laughing and joking with his twin.

"He'll be alright."

George was pulled from his memories by his mother. She'd moved over to him and started stroking his knee.

"George, Fred's going to be fine, I promise," she repeated.

"Molly, don't make promises you don't know for sure you can keep. How can you actually promise something like that?" Arthur asked.

"Dad! He's got to be okay! He's got to be," Ron said. It was the first time he actually said something.

"You don't know that, Ron," Arthur answered, his gaze softening as he looked at his youngest son. "For all we know he could be dead already."

"Why! You think Fred is weak, dad?" Ron shouted, getting angry.

"No, Ron. Not at all! But you've got to keep in mind that he's probably buried under tons of rocks! Even if he's not dead, how big is the chance they actually find him? I'm not saying he _is _dead, I'm just saying he could be."

"He's right, Ron. It has nothing to do with how strong Fred is. There's a big possibility they don't even find him," Charlie said.

Ron opened his mouth, staring from his father to Charlie with an unbelieving expression on his face. Hands curling into fist, his jaw clenched an his face set into an expression of rage, he screamed at them.

"How can you say that! He's your son, for Christ's sake! He's your own blood and you give up on him! HOW COULD YOU?"

He lunged for Charlie, tears starting to stream down his face, but Bill stood up quickly and grabbed him before he could reach him. Ron cried and pounded him with his fists, but Bill still didn't let go. He held him until Ron stopped hitting him, and even then he held on as Ron started to sob on his shoulder.

Molly stood up too, and turned her disapproving gaze to her husband. She looked very angry, but still she contained herself enough to drag Arthur to a corner of the room, away from the children.

"How can you say that to them. They're just children! I know the chance is very small he's alive, but even then I won't stop hoping until they find his body. I hope you can do the same and behave. If you don't, just act like it, for the children's sake! Think of George! Don't you see him? He's worried sick and do you think he will be able to cope as his own father turns his back on his twin? Because that's how this feels like to him! So try not to be so pessimistic, alright?"

Arthur nodded and started to say something, but Molly had already turned her back to him and embraced Ron, who Bill had gladly turned over because he really wasn't tht comfortable with crying little brothers.

Bill sighed and looked at George. He looked worn and Bill knew he himself looked no better. It was really tough on all of them. Molly looked as if she was on the verge of crying, but staying strong for her children. Arthur and Charlie looked practically defeated. Their shoulders were slumped, and Charlie was sitting with his head in his hands. Ginny looked down, but Bill could see the tears that were silently running down her face. Ron was pale and crying. Bill couldn't remember seeing him so vulnerable.

George probably looked the worst of all. He was pale and shaking. His hands clutched at the arms of his chair as if it was his lifeline. His mouth was set grimly and he stared out the window. What would he be thinking? Bill didn't know. Would he be feeling Fred's pain, or would he feel just a black void, nothing? He'd heard of strange connections between twins, who were so close they could feel each other's pain. He wondered if this was true. But if it was, and George didn't feel any pain, wouldn't that mean that Fred was dead?

He quickly shook his head. 'Stop thinking about it,' he berated himself. 'Just stop.'

His family had always been close, Bill knew. Even as he and Charlie moved out, they'd held close contact, sending each other owls when possible. They loved each other. That's why it had hurt so much when Percy walked out on them. It even hurt he wasn't here now, to offer comfort when they needed it so badly, when another one of their family had been hurt. It was just another gap in the family, though this was different, just as the twins were different from Percy. It didn't mean they cared less for Percy, or that he was replaceable, but the twins were always the ones that brought the most laughter in the house. Bill could remember a few incidents, though one stood out more clearly than the others.

Flashback

_It was summer. He'd just finished his first year at Hogwarts, school for magic, and he'd been thrilled and both sad to return home. His father, Arthur had come to pick him up and take him home. He'd asked where his mother was, and his father had answered she was home to watch little Ronnie. _

"_Hi mom!" he shouted as he skipped into the small kitchen. His mother had been standing in front of the sink with her back towards him, but now she turned around with one of the biggest smiles Bill had ever seen. _

"_Bill!" she cried out and hugged him. She immediately began fussing over him. "How are you? How was your first year? Oh, young man, you haven't been eating enough, right? You must've lost at least eight pounds, you're so skinny!"_

_Bill chuckled. "I'm taller now, mum."_

_But it seemed she didn't hear him, as she pushed past him to greet Charlie a similar way. Arthur came behind them, carrying the last bit of baggage. Bill wanted to turn away then, but he spotted another figure following his dad. The boy had red hair, just like them, and he was skinny and wore round glasses. _

"_Mum, Fred and George are climbing in the apple tree again. I've told them not to do that, but they teased me and told me to go read something!" he whined. _

"_Again," Molly sighed. "How many times do I have to tell them not to do that? Bill, be a dear an go with Percy to get them out."_

"_All right," Bill sighed. He wouldn't be able to, he knew. It would be hell trying to get the twins out of the tree. Still, he walked away, Charlie and Percy following him. He arrived at the big tree at the end of the field, and could see the small figures of two identical boys sitting high up on one of the branches. The twins didn't look at them, too busy to notice._

"_Fred, George! Get down here, would ya?" Bill heard Charlie shout. Only then they got the attention of the two. They burst out in identical grins and one of them (Bill still couldn't tell them apart) waved at them._

"_Charlie! Billy-boy! "Charlie! Billy-boy! You're home!"_

_Bill cringed. He truly hated that nickname they came up with. Still, he shouted:_

"_Mum wants you to get down. If you don't, you won't get any apple-pie tonight!"_

"_Alright, we're coming!" The other shouted back. _

_Together, the twins started to climb down. They came about halfway when it all went wrong. Bill stiffened from shock when one of them slipped and lost his grip. It all happened too fast. He tried to grab one of the branches, but missed and let out a shout of horror._

_Bill flinched and cried out when the kid fell down and his body hit the ground with a sickening thud. Bill couldn't bring himself to move yet when the other let out a similar shout of horror. _

"_No, George! You alright?"_

_Fred looked down at the body of his twin and then promptly let go of his own branch, falling to the ground as well. He landed next to his brother, letting out an 'ow!' as he too hit the ground. _

_Bill had reached them by now, and he sat beside them worried, as George sat up woozily and blinked down at his twin, who was still lying on the floor. _

"_Fred, why the hell are you jumping out of trees for?" he'd asked, genuinely confused. _

End Flashback

The now older Bill smiled slightly as he remembered the punishment Molly had dealt out later that evening for worrying her so much. If he remembered clearly, they never had more fun than that evening, when they had to de-gnome the garden for the first time.

Bill looked over to George and instantly sobered up. Now was not the time to bring up old memories. He'd have to be there for his family, and he'd have to pray to whatever he felt like that his little brother would be okay. For if he didn't, he knew the family would never be able to deal and would never be the same.

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So, what do you think? Better, worse? Please review and let me know. It only takes one minute max, and it helps me a lot!


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi everyone! _

_I'm sorry I haven't been a__ble to update for so long, but I've been incredibly busy with school, and didn't feel like writing when I had the time to do it. _

_Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, it makes me really happy to know there are people reading this story. So here's the next chapter. _

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Thinking_

**Pitch Black**

**Chapter Seven**

'Does everyone go mad when they die?'

The thought came to him suddenly, standing out clearly in the puddle of confusion that was his consciousness. He chuckled dryly. Then he stopped.

_What are you laughing for_, he berated himself. _You're dying_.

'No, I'm not'.

He grinned at himself as he shifted to a more comfortable position. Not that he could find one. Everything hurt and no matter how hard he tried to find a position that didn't hurt so badly, he couldn't find one. The movement alone was enough to almost make him sick again.

_You really are dying, Fred Weasley, and there's nothing you can do about it._

'No, they'll find me and I'll live', the more stubborn part of his brain said.

_Dying, dead, gone! Gone and lost! Six feet under and kicking the bucket! _

'Stop it!'

_The Weasley's dead! Gone, gone, gone! No one to remember him! Why should they, he's dead after all!_

"Stop it!" he shouted, only then realising he'd been speaking out loud. Even the smallest sound was harsh in the silence that settled around him like a blanket.

_You really are a nutcase, aren't you?_

Fred sighed and closed his eyes tiredly. Not that it made a difference. He still couldn't see. He shifted again, and whimpered against the pain it caused.

"Help," he murmured soundlessly. "George…"

He never felt more tired. Even breathing was a struggle now, each breath a fight just to live. He knew that if he gave up now, he never would come home. But it was so hard, so hard to not just let go…

The pounding headache he had became even worse, intensifying with the sound of drums and thunder that rumbled through his head. His thoughts became even more muddled and he could hear voices from up far. His body suddenly felt numb.

_They're coming for you. They're coming to get you and take you away from the pain and all this. Don't you want to go with them?_

"No," he moaned but nothing more than a croak came out.

The drumming became louder until he could hear nothing else, until it blocked out every other sensation and everything he knew.

Then he felt a cold wind rushing over his body and the last thought he had was suddenly very clear.

'I guess this is it.'

Then he let go of reality.

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Megan Thompson had seen a lot of things in life. Terrible things as well. When she was a young girl she had seen her parents murdered before her eyes, their shock by their end and the love they held for her the last expression she'd seen on their faces. She never was told why mum and dad wouldn't wake up anymore. It was only later, when she was much older, that she found out Voldemort ordered her parents to be murdered.

It was then that she decided to be an Auror.

She'd seen horrible things in the line of her duty as well. Not as horrible as the deaths in the first war, but still she'd seen death. Before today she'd thought she'd seen it all. Of course, that was before she'd heard that her new case would be digging up bodies from under Gringotts.

'Damn it, why did I become an Auror again?' she wondered as she crouched in the tunnel with two other people. One was another Auror she did not know, the other was a Mediwitch specialised in emergency work. Behind her she could hear her partner muttering a spell to keep the tunnel from collapsing. They were one of the many teams set up to find the ones trapped under the building.

She sighed and looked closely at the map in her hands, bringing her wand towards it so she had more light. It was a detailed map from Gringotts, and with it a list of people that were in the building when it collapsed.

"I think we're almost in another tunnel, one of the smaller ones. Just a few minutes and we'll be there."

The Auror assigned with the task of digging nodded and waved his wand carefully, crushing yet another layer of rock.

"How long do you reckon until they tell us to stop?"

Megan shrugged. "Another hour, I think and then the next team will take this tunnel. Then, perhaps a few hours, maybe a day, until they stop digging."

The Auror, Peter, agreed with this, as he waved his wand yet again and succeeded in making a small hole in the wand before him.

"Sweet Merlin," Megan cursed as a small rock fell on her head. Looking back she said over her shoulder: "How you're holding up, Thom?"

Her partner looked up, his sweaty face shining in the light of her wand.

"I'm fine, though it's heavy work."

She nodded. "I'll switch with you in a few minutes, alright?"

"Megan, we found another one!"

She looked forward and saw that Peter had made an passage to the small tunnel on the other side. Motioning the Mediwitch to follow her, she went forwards, after making sure the rocks wouldn't shift.

She almost gasped at what she saw, had it not been for her training and experience. This one was young, barely an adult. His hair was brown, with dirt and dust and stained red on one side. Blood had spread from his shoulder, though it was hard to see under the dirt, and even beneath it she could tell he was deadly pale. She didn't even know if he was still breathing.

"Alice?" she asked, professional side taking over. The Mediwitch had already moved forward and was checking the kid with various spells. When Megan said her name, she looked up and Megan could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes.

"I don't think he's going to pull through," she said sadly.

Megan closed her eyes for an instant. The kid had not deserved any of this.

"Let's get him upstairs and to the hospital," she said at last, and started forward to help Alice. And while she did so, she thought she could see his eyes flicker for an instant, but when she looked closer, she could see that there was nothing, that it was a trick of the light in the otherwise pitch black tunnel.

_That's it for today. I added the last part with the Aurors because I thought it would be fitting here, and I felt like writing it, but they're not going to have a big part in my story, and that's only if they'll appear in future chapters. I think perhaps only Megan will. What do you think?_


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